Benvolio
Benvolio | |
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Romeo Montague (cousin) |
Benvolio Montague (
Sources
In 1554,
Etymology
The name Benvolio means "good-will" or "well-wisher" or "peacemaker" which is a role he fills, to some degree, as a peacemaker and Romeo's cousin. He also wants peace so civil brawls between him and Tybalt can stop but will do anything for his family even if that means war against the Capulets. (For comparison, see the derivation of Malvolio – ill-will – in Twelfth Night.)
Role in the play
Benvolio is Lord Montague's nephew and
Benvolio spends most of Act I attempting to distract his cousin from his infatuation with Rosaline but following the first appearance of Mercutio in I.iv, he and Mercutio become more closely aligned until III.i. In that scene, he drags the fatally wounded Mercutio offstage, before returning to inform Romeo of Mercutio's death and the Prince of the course of Tybalt and Mercutio's deaths. Benvolio then disappears from the play (though, as a Montague, he may implicitly be included in the stage direction in the final scene "Enter Lord Montague and others" and he is sometimes doubled with Balthasar).
Part of Benvolio's role is encouraging Romeo to go to the party, where he falls in love with
Performances
A mock-
In the 2019 British musical & Juliet Benvolio is portrayed by actress Kirstie Skivington.
Portrayals
In 1968 the part of Benvolio was played by Bruce Robinson in Romeo and Juliet.
In the
In the 2001 French musical Roméo et Juliette: de la Haine à l'Amour, the role was originated by Grégori Baquet.
In the 2013 version of Romeo and Juliet, the actor who played Benvolio was Kodi Smit-McPhee.
References
- ^ Moore 1937, pp. 38–44.
- ^ Gibbons 1980, pp. 35–36.
- ^ Edgar 1982, p. 162.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-8222-0817-4.
- Gibbons, Brian, ed. (1980). Romeo and Juliet. The Arden Shakespeare Second Series. London: Thomson Learning. ISBN 978-1-903436-41-7.
- Moore, Olin H. (1937). "Bandello and 'Clizia'". Modern Language Notes. 52 (1): 38–44. JSTOR 2912314.
External links
- Complete listing of all of Benvolio's lines
- Benvolio Character Analysis at British Library